A senior Kremlin envoy has floated plans for a vast 70-mile rail tunnel beneath the Bering Strait that would physically connect Russia and the United States for the first time in history — a project he claims could be delivered for just £6bn. Kirill Dmitriev, Moscow’s special envoy for international economic and investment cooperation, has proposed what he calls the “Putin-Trump Tunnel” linking Russia’s Chukotka region with the US state of Alaska.
The idea, he argued, would serve as a symbol of unity between the two powers while opening the door to major economic cooperation. In a series of posts on X, Dmitriev suggested the tunnel could be completed within eight years and built by Elon Musk’s tunnelling firm, The Boring Company. He claimed traditional construction methods would push the cost beyond $65bn, but argued Musk’s technology could slash the price to under $8bn — roughly £6bn.
Mr Dmitriev, posting in October, wrote: “Imagine connecting the US and Russia, the Americas and Afro-Eurasia, with the Putin-Trump Tunnel – a 70-mile link symbolising unity,” describing it as a “mega-project” that would transform global infrastructure.
The proposed route would run beneath the Bering Strait, which at its narrowest point measures about 51 miles across, separating Alaska from Russia’s far eastern coastline.
While the strait itself is narrower than the suggested 70-mile span, the additional distance would account for land connections and approach routes on either side.
The concept of linking the two continents is not new. Variations of the idea date back more than 150 years, with numerous schemes drawn up but never realised.
Recently released US congressional documents relating to the late John F Kennedy revealed that a “World Peace Bridge” between Alaska and Siberia had once been considered during the Cold War era.
Dmitriev’s proposal surfaced shortly after Russian president Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Mr Trump and agreed to meet in Hungary in the coming weeks to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Dmitriev is also head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund and has played a visible role in attempts to improve Moscow’s economic ties abroad.
Sharing a graphic of the proposed crossing — which he also referred to as a “Kennedy-Khrushchev World Peace Bridge” — Mr Dmitriev suggested the tunnel could unlock joint exploration of natural resources and dramatically expand trade routes between North America and Eurasia.
He did not clarify whether the idea has been formally discussed with US officials, nor how Western sanctions imposed on Russia would affect financing, technology transfers or cross-border cooperation.
He said the project could be funded by Moscow alongside unnamed “international partners”.
Mr Dmitriev wrote: “RDIF has already invested in and built the first-ever Russia-China railroad bridge. The time has come to do more and connect the continents for the first time in human history.”
Neither Mr Trump nor Mr Musk has publicly responded to the proposal.